


Home

by ussgallifrey221b



Series: To Build a Home [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Parenthood, dad!bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 08:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19390696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussgallifrey221b/pseuds/ussgallifrey221b
Summary: It takes time to heal, it takes the changing of the seasons, but you doheal.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> This series has been a blast to write out. And while I feel that in its current state, it is complete. I wouldn't be opposed to adding in more in the future.

It gets better, slowly and surely. Progress doesn’t happen overnight, it takes work and tears - sometimes too many tears. But you get there. Celebrating a third birthday in the kitchen of your farmhouse. Watching your little girl excitedly open presents and give out hugs to you both. He savors it, holds her as long as she’ll let him. The smiles come easier now, and more frequently. Halloween passes with a rush of sugar. Walking around the haunted halls of the community center with a pirate and a small parrot cuddled in Bucky’s arms. You stay home for Thanksgiving, only having your immediate family over to celebrate. It’s so strange and homey and miles away from the fear-filled days of August.

The build-up to Christmas is the most impressive. He becomes a personal chair for Becca as they watch all the old TV specials, most of which are still new to him. Gabe spends his time trying to pull the ornaments off the tree. Bucky kneels by the window with the kids as they try to look out for the first snowflake. He sweeps you in his arms and kisses you under the mistletoe and kisses you just because. Becca complains and he kisses her too, with loud  _ smacks _ to her giggling cheeks. You come back together, slowly sewing the wounds and healing with the changing of the seasons. Languid kisses in the cool mornings under fleece sheets. A tiny head poking through the door and clambering in with you.

Alpine watches from his usual perches. Jumping out of reach when too loud and too excited hands reach for his tail. Helping Gabriel by knocking the shiny and round bulbs off the tree, much to your chagrin. They wear matching red and white striped footed pajamas as they open their presents. Gabe trying to eat the wrapping paper and not really caring about anything else. Bucky forced to open every toy and remove the million plastic ties and pieces. But he does it all with the brightest smile on his face.

The new year comes and it feels like normalcy has finally returned to the house; to your lives.  


He only answered the burner flip phone once since coming back. Answering Sam’s call about a debrief of the mission. You had convinced him to go, get it over with. Sam promised he’d have him back by dinner. Bucky kept his mouth shut, because how could he promise you anything after he broke the last one. But he went to headquarters. Coming back after the kids were already down for the night. It had been five months and he had been home every day since then. You don’t know what was said or who it was said to, but for the moment it seemed that he was truly off the roster.

Bucky wanders in from the yard, shaking and stomping the snow from his clothes, having shoveled the entire driveway and walkways. Becca trails in next to him. Lifting her up to shake all the excess snow from her suit and boots as well. She laughs as he sets her down on the wet rug. Helps her with her mittens and hat, tousles her light brown hair with a grin. And then she’s running to the kitchen with rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes.

“Becca help daddy, mommy! Becca snow!”

You turn from the counter, “Oh, yeah? You were helping daddy shovel?”

She nods excitedly. Bucky smirks from the doorway, pushing the wet hair from his eyes.

“She did most of it,” he offers.

With a raise of your brows, you give her your best amazed look. “Really?  _ Wow _ , you must be super strong, huh?” You tease, winking over her head to him.

“Mhmm,” she nods furiously, holding up her arms, “Big strong girl!”

Bucky rushes and swoops her up from behind, bringing her into a giggling fit. “I’ll say!” He flips her upside down in his arms, blowing raspberries on her exposed stomach. She laughs harder, hair swishing against his legs.

“Daddy! Daddy, stop!” She chokes between laughter.

He gently tosses her over his back, holding onto the small legs on his shoulder. He grins, “Hey, babe. Have you seen Rebecca anywhere?”

You lean back against the counter with a smirk, “No, hun. Haven’t seen her.”

“Huh,” He turns, she giggles behind him. “That’s weird. Thought I just saw her.”

“Daddy!” She squeals.

Bucky turns again, stopping with a wide grin on his face, “I thought I just heard her.”

Her feet kick against his chest as she tries to pull herself up, giggling as she tugs on his pant leg, “Daddy!”

He pulls her into his arms, giving a stunned look, “Oh, there you are.”

With her arms around his neck, she leans in close, nuzzling her face against his cheek. His expression relaxes, eyes closing with a sense of contentment.

He takes them outside into the large snow drifts of the yard, pulling them around on a little red sled. Collapsing on the ground with a smile as they crawl over him and get snow down his shirt. He kisses you with chapped lips and wind-swept hair. Lapping up the lingering taste of cocoa with a passion.

In the early morning hours of gentle caresses and languid kisses, tangled in the sheets of your bed with heavy breaths and sweat-soaked skin, you both freeze at the sound of a phone ringing in his nightstand.  


You push him to answer. He sits on the edge of the bed, bare feet on the cold wooden floor as you hover behind him. Unable to pick up what the other person is saying, but judging by his reaction it won’t be good news. His head is down, fingers white-knuckled on his kneecap.

“Yeah, I can… yeah.”

His eyes are a storm when he hangs up and folds into your embrace. You hold him as he stares at the ceiling, holding his breath to avoid the inevitable.

He leaves three days later. The blacked-out car drives through the muddy slush of the driveway. He hugs and kisses Gabe, hugs Rebecca tightly, holds on and breathes you in with a ragged exhale. She rushes after him and he sweeps his little girl into his arms. Peppering her face with kisses as she asks for the hundredth time where he’s going and  _ why, daddy, why? _ You pull her away gently so he can make it on time. Shouldering his black duffle bag into the backseat, driving off to some undisclosed location for who knows how long.

He comes back exactly seven days later during their naps. The bag drops next to the winter boots and he strides towards you on the couch. You let him pull you to the guest room down the hall with frenzied kisses and  _ I love you _ s pressed into your skin.

Only a few days away from a four year anniversary, he’s reading over the paper at the kitchen table. Relaxing into the afternoon with your music playing off the kitchen speakers. He perks up at the smell coming from the oven.

“Is he still on a banana strike?”

You nod across from him, pulling away from your phone. “Keep buying them and keep giving them to him and they just end up on the floor. Might as well do something with them.”

The banana bread smells heavenly when you pull it out ten minutes later, sprinkled with gooey chocolate chips.

He eyes the monitor between you, watching the dual cameras in the room switch between a sleeping toddler and a soon-to-be toddler. You sip on your mug of tea, flicking through side work from the agency.

You pause for a moment, “Should hit up the farmer’s market tomorrow. They just opened last week. I took them there all last summer.”

He nods, fingers drumming against the table, foot tapping on the floor. Took them there when he was in the middle of that god awful mission in Ukraine is was you don’t say.

You push on, “They love the park across the street. She’ll want to go to the Pooh Bridge.”

Bucky raises his brows suddenly, “The  _ what _ ?”

You look at him then laugh all bright and beautiful like the day he married you. “Sorry,” You wave your hand, trying to catch your breath. “Disney movie,  _ Winnie the Pooh _ ? Little yellow bear? There’s this scene where they’re on a bridge and they toss sticks in the water. Anyway, they have this arched bridge over the stream by the park and she just calls it the  _ Pooh Bridge. _ ”

He smiles, imagining Rebecca running back and forth on a little bridge, watching the stream flow. Shaking his head, “Yeah, that sounds good. Think the weather is looking better for tomorrow.”

Humming in reply, you turn back to your phone, but not before you extend your free hand out across the table. He takes it in his left, letting a vibranium finger  _ clink _ against the plain band on your finger.

Looking back down at the newspaper, reading through the local news of your small town, your gentle voice and squeeze of his hand have him pulling his gaze back up.

“Hey, Buck?”

“Yeah, doll?”

You pull your hand away, ring tapping against your mug as you take a sip of your warm tea. Your peppermint tea. Your peppermint tea. Your peppermint, oh _.  
_

_ Oh. _

His throat goes dry.  


You bat your lashes innocently. “Were you still opposed to Silas, or…?”

He chokes on his laugh, smiling wide as you blush, a hand going down to cup your belly. Shaking his head, he can’t believe how lucky he is.

Every little moment of the past four years building a foundation up around him. The little moments of two lovers in a studio apartment. A little white kitten on his lap. Your hands pulling his down to a growing bump. Those first few dream-like days with his newborn daughter. Watching her grow and move and talk and run into his arms with the tightest hugs. His little boy, so small and tiny growing into a chubby little toddler with curious eyes and toothy grins. This beautiful place you moved into. This life you’ve built together. The new life growing inside you. Leaning back in the kitchen chair with a look of wonder in his eyes, he thinks to himself, maybe this is the home he had been searching for all this time.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on my [Tumblr](https://ussgallifreyfics.tumblr.com).


End file.
